Plaintiff, a 61-year-old male, was operating his 1995 King F8 box truck southbound on Route 123 at approximately 45 mph. Defendant, who had a blood alcohol content of 0.19 percent, was operating his 1999 Ford Taurus directly behind the plaintiff’s vehicle at a high rate of speed (at least 55 mph). Defendant failed to maintain…

This case stemmed from a one-vehicle accident involving college students on the way to an off-campus fraternity party. The driver lost control, the car rolled multiple times and the plaintiff was ejected from the vehicle. Alcohol was not a factor. The Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity ran a shuttle from campus to the party, but claimed…

A driver injured in a rear-end accident when two cars allegedly raced down a Portsmouth street can sue one of the John Doe drivers, but not the other, for punitive damages, a Portsmouth Circuit judge has ruled. The judge tallied the injured driver’s allegations of willful and wanton conduct, measured them against the Virginia Supreme…

This case was previously tried to a defense verdict but was successfully appealed to the Supreme Court of Virginia, which reversed the verdict based upon introduction into evidence of prior alcohol use by plaintiff, which was irrelevant and prejudicial. Plaintiff tripped and fell on a dislodged metal grate that was supposed to be flush with…

The Supreme Court of Virginia has reversed a punitive damages award to a couple injured by a hit-and-run driver. By a 5-2 majority, the court found that the John Doe driver was not “egregious” enough to warrant the $175,000 punitives award assessed by the jury. The driver, who apparently was intoxicated, hit the couple from…